Seasons of the Heart by Tanya Agler

Happy New Year! Is it too late to say that? January is the first month of the year and many people make resolutions, some of which are kept and some of which fall by the wayside. It’s also winter, although in Georgia, the days are alternating between warm and cool with little evidence of the nip in the air which heralds fires in the fireplace and blankets on cozy chairs. Thanks to social media, I’m seeing friends who are enjoying snow and other friends who are heading to the beach. The sights of the season are varied according to region, the day, and the temperature. Just as there are wonderfully different photographs and celebrations of the calendar season, I started thinking about writing and how writers have different seasons of the heart, all of which are personal and varied but are also blessings when we take time to examine the impact they have on us.

The calendar plays a definite role in the seasons as there is a start and end date to each season. In a similar fashion, sometimes the seasons of our writing journey revolve around publication. For some writers who are pursuing traditional publishing routes, it’s waiting for a call from an agent or editor with a contract for their book. For some, it’s the release of their debut novel. Other authors have released more than five novels and are still going strong.

Weather often plays a role in the way we think of each season. If I say winter, some people immediately think of a landscape covered in snow. Fall often brings images of colorful leaves. As far as writing, there are factors which play a role in scheduling writing time, such as work, family, time for Bible study or devotionals. Sometimes there’s a thunderstorm in our own lives and we have to examine whether God is calling us to write or to hold back until we handle the effects of the storm. Sometimes it’s sunny and warm and, on those days, I try to remember to say a prayer of thanksgiving before I start writing. Those seasons of our heart impact our thoughts and writing, and appreciation for each season can enrich our stories and the emotion hidden therein.

As we navigate the calendar seasons with the help of meteorologists, family, and different implements (umbrellas, snow shovels, etc.), so too do we have a support system for helping us navigate the seasons of our writing journeys and the seasons of our hearts. Prayer and time with God is a great start. Our writing support system can guide us through the downpours. Calendars, lists, computers, paper, and other tools can help writers plan out their time and aid us in transforming our stories from only being entrenched in our minds to novels. Sometimes, accepting the weather going on around us and allowing ourselves to cope with the impact of that weather is the best gift we can give ourselves.

What helps you in your current writing season?

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The Sheriff’s Second Chance by Tanya Agler

Broken things can’t be fixed…
Or can they?
Officer and single dad Mike Harrison doesn’t believe in second chances. Ever. That is, until he learns that his former best friend—gorgeous green-eyed car mechanic Georgie Bennett—is back in town. Unfortunately, she’s also a suspect in a recent break-in! But it’ll take an old classic car to show Mike and Georgie that almost anything can be restored with a little patience…and a whole lot of love.

An award-winning author, Tanya makes her home in Georgia with her wonderful husband, their four children, and a lovable Basset, who really rules the roost. When she’s not writing, Tanya loves classic movies and a good cup of tea.

Visit her at  www.tanyaagler.com or follow her on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/tanyaaglerauthor and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tanyaaglerauthor.

Living the Dream by Mary Manners

 Living the Dream

by Mary Manners

 

 

Tomorrow morning before the sun rises I will board the Megabus to Orlando, Florida for the Romance Writers of America National conference. It has been eleven years since I last had the privilege of attending, and so very much has changed during the course of those years!

 

Eleven years ago I was an unpublished,  aspiring writer with very little idea of how the publishing world worked. I was working a full-time teaching job and raising my daughter. Life was hectic and I stayed up into the wee hours of the night to carve out precious writing time. I heard about RWA and joined, then saw that Nora Roberts was going to be at the conference. I have always loved her writing style, so, with stars in my eyes, I went to meet her. I also met so many friendly, gracious, and helpful aspiring and seasoned writers who shared invaluable information. I learned so much, and was filled with immeasurable hope that I could make my dream of becoming a professional author come true.

 

 



 

Now, as I prepare to return to the conference, I am retired from my day job. With more than fifty published books and novellas under my belt, I am living the dream as a full-time author. But I know there is still so much to learn. I am ready to spend time with my treasured friend and fellow writer Marianne Evans, network with writing friends and industry professionals, and soak up as much information as I possibly can. Who knows what the next eleven years might bring?

 

Onward...to the next adventure!

 



~~~~~

 

 

A Pocketful of Wishes (Picnics and Promises Collection)



When a job transfer causes Jenna Palmer’s family to relocate across the country, Jenna moves away from her best friend and first love Carter Stevens. She promises to find him again. But as the years slip away and she dives into a career in pediatric trauma surgery, all that is left of her one time love are the memories—and a wish on the lucky penny Carter gave her.

Carter Stevens never forgot his first love. On their final morning together he gave her a special token along with his promise to love her forever. Though years have passed as he’s climbed the ranks of the Maple Ridge Police Department, he still longs for another glimpse of the smiling, green-eyed beauty who stole his heart and shared his love of adventure.

An accident brings the pair together once again, and memories and reality collide. Can their promise stand, or will time crush their promise…and their love?

~~~~~

MARY MANNERS is an award-winning author who has spent a lifetime exploring her joy of writing.  A former teacher and intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades sharing her love of learning. While growing up in Chicago Mary worked a variety of jobs including paper girl, figure skating instructor, pizza chef, lifeguard, and nanny. Many of these enriching and challenging experiences led to adventures that add a touch of humor to her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs, ocean sunsets, and flavored coffee.

 

Connect with Mary at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.



 

 



New Beginnings by Mary Manners

New Beginnings

by

Mary Manners

 

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven..."

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 ~



 

This month marks a huge milestone in my life -- retirement from a three-decade career of teaching and school administration. I have stepped into a school building for 6,196 mornings, and have only four days to go. It's barely believable that the end is so close. My feelings are mixed...excitement and sadness, fear and exhilaration. I will miss the children, but not the political red tape.

 

I began my teaching journey at the tender age of twenty-one, and spent the first several years working with special needs children. From there I moved to a decade of fourth grade and Junior Primary, and then traversed to middle school where I taught sixth, seventh, and eight grades. Three years ago I stepped into administration at an intermediate school. My career has spanned nine grades and four schools. Now, thirty-one years later, I will finish a journey that I have considered a blessing, and begin another that I have always dreamed of--full-time writing.

 

Yes, from my earliest memory as a child I have longed to write. I shared stories before I even knew how to put them to paper. Through my journey, I promised myself that as soon as was contracted to be published that I would quit my teaching job. Well, I received 'the call' six years ago this month, and it has taken me this long to say my goodbyes to the school children I've grown to love. But I'm doing it...finally.

 

So, in just a few weeks I will begin this new season, and oh...it's going to be a joy! Stay tuned...I'll keep you posted on this much-anticipated adventure.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

Bachelor Auction

Cooper Jackson...no, it can’t be. Wake up, wake up! The room began to whirl and harsh lights danced before Lexi’s eyes. She blinked hard once, twice, and heard a flurry of movement to her left. Then he strode out. He had to duck to clear a microphone suspended from the ceiling, and his height shaded the lights, easing the glare that burned her eyes. His dark hair was a bit shorter than she remembered, but it still fell in tousled waves across intense, smoky‐gray eyes.

The years had added muscle—lots of it. And he flashed the same ‘I can get out of anything’ grin that had melted her the first time they’d met, back in the school lunchroom in sixth grade, when he’d tried to swap his warm, stinky tuna fish on squashed white bread for the turkey and cheddar on wholegrain her mom had packed along with juicy red seedless grapes and a homemade frosted fudge brownie. That grin wouldn’t work its magic on her anymore. No way in...

“Hello, Lexi.”

Her insides turned to ice. His voice was deep, coaxing, just as she remembered. She sat paralyzed, speechless. Every thought flew from her mind. She gripped the armrests of the chair like life preservers on a sinking Titanic.

 



~~~~~

 



Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Neyland and Gus. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.